text:
The Atheist Bible
An Atheist View
Gods as Fiction
Why are gods fictional?
Do you have a proof?
Isn't the creation falsifiable?
Isn't the subjective experience of God falsifiable?
Atheism and Falsifiability
Why would people invent gods?
Why would people believe in gods?
Gods are not fictional!
God created the universe!
Scripture is from God!
Jesus and Muhammad existed!
The prophets were honest!
Scripture says that God exists!
Are abstract things also fictitious?
CC-BY Fabian M. Suchanek
This chapter of the Atheist Bible explains gods from the point of view of a positive atheist, i.e., a person who believes that the supernatural is not ill-defined but that it does not exist. The present chapter consists of just three sections:
An Atheist View: Explains how a positive atheist sees gods.
Objections: Discusses criticism of the atheist viewpoint regarding gods.
Cinderella looked indeed awesome in her dress. Almost like in a fairy tale...Willgard @ Pixabay
Let us start our discussion by recalling the story of Cinderella. Cinderella was a poor girl whose mother died. Her father remarried but her stepmother and stepsisters were cruel to her. One day the prince of her country gave a ball. Cinderella wanted to go, but her stepmother would not allow her, and she did not have a dress either. While her stepsisters went Cinderella stayed home all alone. However, a good fairy appeared and gave her a marvelous dress. Cinderella went to the ball and the prince fell in love with her, and after some twists and turns they lived happily ever after.
As you know, this story is a fairy tale. The oldest known version of this tale was recorded by the Greek geographer Strabo in around 7 BC. In that variant of the story, a magic eagle helps a slave girl called Rhodopis, and she marries the king of Egypt. Other variants of the story exist across the world, including China (where the girl befriends a fish), Korea (with a magic ox), and the Middle East (where she is helped by a demoness). The version with the good fairy is the most popular one in the West today. It was first published by Charles Perrault in "Histoires ou contes du temps passé" in 1697, and later by the Brothers Grimm in their folk tale collection "Grimms' Fairy Tales" .
There may indeed have existed a poor girl (or several) who inspired these tales. However, the part of the story with the magic fish, ox, demoness, or fairy was made up. Maybe someone came up with the idea during a long winter's evening, or seated around a campfire. People liked the idea that some magic spirit helped the poor girl. The story caught on, and it got passed on through the generations.
The story of Cinderella is a very popular fairy tale. While a girl called Cinderella may have existed, the fairy in the story did not. The fairy is an entirely fictional character, which was included in the story to help drive the plot and make Cinderella's escape from the clutches of her evil stepmother all the more appealing. It worked, and the story caught on.
For an atheist, the nature of religious stories (as recorded in the Bible or other scripture) is no different from the nature of the story of Cinderella. These stories were maybe based on some true events. But they are embellished with miracles, spirits, and gods. The gods in these stories are just like the good fairy in the Cinderella tale: they are magical characters invented by people and entirely fictional in character. These stories have been passed on through generations and were recorded in books and oral traditions. However, that does not make these stories true. The gods in these stories no more exist in reality than do the fairies, magic animals, unicorns and other products of human imagination do.
Let us make this point more concrete: When we read the story of Cinderella, we are pulled into the story. We are eager to learn what happens, we feel with the main character, and we are excited when the good fairy steps in to give her the dress. However, when we close the book, the good fairy is gone. When we look around, there is no fairy. Only children believe that the fairy is really there.
Atheists contend that same holds for supernatural characters. Gods are heroes and sometimes villains on the page. The stories are inspiring, exciting, and sometimes enlightening. Yet when we close the book, the characters are gone. They do not exist in reality. They are legendary beings. Gods are imaginary.
Religion confuses cause and effect:
It's not God who created man, but man who created God.
Hans Reinhardt
Muslims may object that their god is not an addition to a story, but the author of the story. However, their god is much older than the Quran. He is the same god as the Jewish god, and this god reportedly created the Earth and parted the waters. The god was thus invented much earlier than the Quran was dictated.
Atheists believe that gods are fictional characters — just like the good fairy in the Cinderella tale. If we want to understand why they think so, we have to ask ourselves why we believe that the fairy in the Cinderella tale is fictional. Why are we convinced that the good fairy does not really exist?
There are several reasons:
The good fairy is unknown outside the Western culture. Eastern cultures rather tell the story with a magic fish instead. This fish in turn is unknown in Western versions of the story. Had the same magic entity appeared in different cultures, that would have been an indication for its existence. However, it does not.
The good fairy does magical things that defy the laws of nature. In reality, the laws of nature cannot be defied.
Our only source of information about the good fairy is the story. There is no evidence for the good fairy other than the tale.
Atheists hold that the same is true of gods:
Just like every culture knows their own magic fish, ox, or fairy for the tale of Cinderella, every culture knows their own gods and spirits in their religious stories. The same god does not arise in different regions.
Gods usually do magical things that defy the laws of nature. They make people walk on water, heal miraculously, make statues shed tears, or take someone on a nightly ride to Jerusalem through the skies. All these things are acts of magic that are typical within fairy tales but impossible in the real world.
There is no evidence for gods other than the original book or myth. Evidence is a validated theory that confirms the existence of a god. There is no such evidence. (We will refute popular proofs for the existence of gods in the Chapter on Proofs for Gods.)
Hence, atheists conclude, gods are fictional characters just like the just like the good fairy in the Cinderella tale.
The Aztec gods showed up only to the Aztecs for the same reasons that the Japanese gods showed up only to the Japanese, and Yahweh only showed up only in the Middle East.
Nobody has a proof that God does not exist. This is because there is nothing that a believer would accept as a proof that his or her god does not exist. Nature is inherently brutal? It is God's will! Prayer does not work? God will fulfill your wish later in a different form! There is pain and hunger in this world? It's all a test for the afterlife. Nobody has ever seen God? That's because he's invisible. No matter what argument we come up with, it will not be accepted as a proof that God does not exist.
This means that there is no X such that
If X, then God does not exist.
The same is true for any other god, supernatural being, or supernatural concept. We can never prove that Zeus does not exist, that the good fairy does not exist, that Khonvoum does not exist, that there is no reincarnation, that there are no spirits, or that "God" is not the first cause of the universe.
Fortunately, it is also not necessary to prove that these gods don't exist. This is because the above If-then statement can be transformed into the following logically equivalent form:
If God exists, then not X.
We agreed before that there is no such X. This means that if God exists, we cannot draw any conclusion from this. We do not know anything more about this world under the assumption that God does exist. Not a single concrete thing about this world can be predicted.
To see this, let's assume that the god of Christianity exists. What can we conclude from this assumption? Maybe that it was him who created the world, that there is paradise, and that there is hell. Unfortunately, all of these statements are again unfalsifiable -- they cannot be proven false either. This means that they also don't tell us anything about the real world. If we assume that God created the world, we still don't know anything concrete: We don't know how many animal species there are, we don't know when the Earth will be destroyed, we don't know how the human brain works, we don't know how to solve the problem of world hunger. The assumption of God's existence tells us nothing about the real world.
This is actually a characteristic property of fictional entities like gods and supernatural entities. The claim that they exist is unfalsifiable and therefore it is literally meaningless.
Another consequence of the unfalsifiability is that we can come up with arbitrarily many other unfalsifiable claims. For example, I can say "There is not one god, but two gods". This claim contradicts the claim "There is only one god", but it also is unfalsifiable. This means that we have two claims that cannot both be true, and yet neither of them can be proven false.
Therefore people have come up with numerous contradictory supernatural theories. Since none of them can be proven false, they are the main ingredient for religious disputes, which are oftentimes violent and even deadly. They are fundamentally irresolvable because the entities, actions, or events they refer to cannot be disproven. And that is the case because the entities, actions, or events they refer to are fictional.
If you cannot prove it false
that doesn't make it true.
The Candid Atheist
This book argues that the existence of gods or the supernatural is not falsifiable. There is nothing that believers would accept as a proof that their god does not exist.
Now let's look at the hypothesis "God created the world". Isn't that one falsifiable? If God had not created the world, then the world would not exist. Thus, it would appear that we have a possibility to prove the hypothesis false, and hence the hypothesis is falsifiable.
This line of reasoning is tempting but false. Falsifiability asks for what would have to happen (in the present or future) to prove the hypothesis false. What could I do now to show to you that God did not create the world? What has to happen to shake your belief that God is not the creator?
It turns out that there is no such thing. No matter what happens, you would still believe that it was God who created the world. And thus, the thesis "God created the world" is still unfalsifiable. It is just empty words stacked on top of whatever we observe.
This distinguishes the theory that God created the world from scientific theories about the origin of the world: When a scientific theory predicts that the universe came into existence 14 billion years ago, then the discovery of any artifact that is older than 14 billion years would prove that theory false. Thus, the statement "the universe is 14 billion years old" predicts that we will never find an artifact that is older – which has indeed not happened.
The absence of God is proof for the absence of God, as the absence of a bottle of whiskey on my desk is proof of the absence of a bottle of whiskey on my desk. What isn't there isn't there.
Saurio Pérez
We have argued that the existence of the supernatural cannot be falsified, and that the claim "God exists" is hence meaningless. Believers can object by pointing to quite a number of feelings linked to God: When they pray, they feel better; when they believe that God protects us, they feel relieved; when something good happens, they feel thankful. Are these not real, perceptual experiences? And can these experiences not be predicted by the assumption of God? And if so, does this not give "God" a meaning, in the sense that the hypothesis of the existence of God has predictive power?
These experiences are indeed perceptions in the sense of this book. Thus, the theory "If I pray to God, I feel relieved" does make falsifiable predictions. These predictions are well studied, and we will later dedicate an entire section to them.
However, such theories always concern an action by the believer and never an action by the god. It is the belief in God, the prayer to God, or the devotion that has the effect — not God himself. Technically speaking, the rules are never of the form "If God does X, then...", but always of the form "If I do X, then...". It follows that such theories can only ever predict personal experiences. They can predict feelings of relief, the illusion of control, or the abatement of fear. However, they cannot predict that God created the universe, that we have to follow his commandments, or that he has objective physical existence. Thus, "God" is an auxiliary notion that we use to describe our subjective psychological experiences. In this sense, God "exists" — but he exists only in our heads.
Every believer has created God in his own image. God, therefore, carries the very same biases and convictions as the believer.
Weenie Gespartan
We have argued that the hypothesis that the supernatural exists and cannot be falsified. Therefore, atheism holds that gods and the supernatural are the work of fiction. But what about atheism? For example, can the claim "God does not exist" be falsified?
To answer this question, we have to find things that we would accept as proof that God exists. Here is a list of things that we could accept as a proof that God exists:
Praying to God makes things possible that are otherwise impossible
God reveals himself in a scientifically verifiable way
God intervenes in this world a verifiable and identifiable way
All of these things would be proof that God exists. Hence, the claim "God does not exist" is falsifiable. This makes the claim meaningful. Its meaning is: None of the above things will ever happen.
The claim predicts that, no matter how much we pray, we will never obtain anything that would not have happened anyway. When we generalize the claim to "the supernatural does not exist", it says that praying, observing rites, or following superstitions will never have any effect other than psychological. This is indeed what we find. The claim also predicts that no god will ever reveal himself in a scientifically verifiable way. This is again what we find. Finally, the claim predicts that no god will ever intervene in this world in a way that we can identify him. In other words, there are no miracles. Again, this is what we observe. Thus, the claim is not only meaningful, but also true. It makes concrete and correct predictions about the real world. This is more than any religion can say of itself.
This is the central asymmetry between theism and atheism: Theism says there is a god, but cannot say what will happen or not happen. Hence, theism is not falsifiable and thus meaningless. Atheism says there is no god, and uses this to make predictions, which we find to be true. Hence, Atheism is falsifiable and thus meaningful.
How do we know that the gods are imaginary? Simply imagine that one of them is real. If one of these thousands of gods were actually real, then his followers would be experiencing real, undeniable benefits. These benefits would be obvious to everyone. The followers of a true god would pray, and their prayers would be answered. The followers of a true god would therefore live longer, have fewer diseases, have lots more money, etc. There would be thousands of statistical markers surrounding the followers of a true god. All the other false gods would have fallen by the wayside long ago, and there would be only one religion under the one true god.
GodIsImaginary.com
Interestingly, as soon as God intervenes in this world in a verifiable way, he ceases to be supernatural. Thus, atheists could start believing in his existence, but still reject the supernatural. Thus, they would remain atheists. They would start believing in that god, but that is because the god had ceased to be supernatural.
In an atheistic world view, gods are fictional creations. This begs the question of why people would invent gods.
There is a wide variety of reasons why people came up with gods. One of the earliest reasons was the personification of natural entities. The sun gives warmth and light, and people suspected that it was a conscious being not unlike themselves. This gave rise to the idea of a sun god. People also used gods to explain other phenomena of nature. They did not know where rain came from, and hence assumed that there was a god who caused that rain.
People can also create fictional entities out of a dream, a hallucination, or a medical condition such as epileptic seizures. Such experiences can give rise to the belief in things that are not real. Or people can start personifying a dead person. They can come believe that they can talk with them, and this belief can give rise to the notion of an afterlife, or of spirits.
In other instances, simple stories and myths may have become so popular that they were taken to be true. It is sufficient that some shaman tells a story, and that people pick it up, so that it becomes a belief. To this day people create, share, and believe urban legends, even though they are false. We will later dedicate an entire section to the things that inspired the stories about the gods.
In some cases, religious beliefs were also actively promoted by those in power. Kings of all eras loved claiming that their power and laws were sanctioned by the gods. This kept the people quiet and obedient. The rulers also realized that they could control a population by threatening it with hell. Therefore, some people may have actively invented or supported stories of gods. In some cases, people may have benefited personally from the stories that they invented. This may have tempted them to invent gods and stories. We will dedicate an entire section to the motivations that people had for nurturing a religion.
Over the centuries and millennia, the stories of gods were shared, altered, amended, and merged. Some were abandoned, others became very powerful. We discuss this process in detail in the Chapter on Memes.
Insanity is believing that your hallucinations are real.
Religion is believing that other people's hallucinations are real.
Evangelical Pastafarism
For an atheist, gods are the work of fiction. We have discussed why people would come up with such a fiction. Here we discuss why people would believe and follow such a fiction.
One factor that might have played a role is that people might have been less skeptical than they are today. Imagine that I tell you that I heard about a man who could walk on the water. You would probably not believe me. You would want to know where I heard that and whether there is proof for it. In the ideal case, you would want a picture or video of it. Without such proof, you would not remotely consider that I might be right, let alone follow me and start sharing this story. Yet this is what ancient people did. Of the people who wrote the New Testament of the Bible, for example, no one was present at Jesus's miraculous birth. All of the stories of in the New Testament were written decades after Jesus's death. Still, people believed these stories.
All of this worked because people had no modern means of verification (and no cameras). In ancient times, stories could be considered true if they were reported by authoritative people, or if they were sufficiently prevalent. That said, today people still believe all kinds of stories even if they are outright false. We will later see examples.
Once a belief has established itself in society, it is deepened through iteration and habit. Children learn beliefs from their early years, and hand it on to the next generation. Thus, people see their faith as something natural and obvious. It was often also prohibited to question that belief.
As an analogy, consider the belief in fairies. Adults tell children about fairies and many children believe that fairies exist. Now assume that the belief in fairies was taught at school, while at the same time it is prohibited under penalty of death to tell children than fairies do not exist. Any thought or argument that fairies do not really exist would be wiped out. In this way an entire generation of children would be brought up believing that fairies exist. These children would tell their own children about fairies. If this was iterated for hundreds of years, an entire culture would incorporate fairies as a natural part of life. This is how the world's major religions work.
Another reason why people believe in gods is that such beliefs can also be convenient. Higher powers seem to explain many questions that would otherwise go unanswered. Belief in higher powers can also fulfill a basic human desire for control. By imagining that someone is responsible for the randomness of life, we can imagine that we influence that someone through prayers, sacrifices, or rituals. Thus, we have at least the illusion that we can do something about the arbitrariness that surrounds us. Religion also caters to the human desire for emotional comfort, safety, absolution, and group feeling. Religious beliefs can also appease people, give power to whoever claims to be in contact with the gods, or establish certain practices in a society. For all these reasons, many people embraced religion. All of this, however, "works" no matter whether the religion is true or not. We discuss why people believe in gods in the Chapter on Following Religion and the Chapter on the Benefits of Religion.
It is a telling fact that, the world over, the vast majority of children follow the religion of their parents rather than any of the other available religions.
The (Christian) archbishops of Salzburg decorated their castle with Greek gods, because the gods of the other religions are always fictional.
in Schloss Hellbrunn, Salzburg, Austria
For atheists, gods are fictional characters just like the fairy in the Cinderalla tale. However, most people think that gods are by nature different from fictional characters.
This hypothesis is false. In fact, everybody believes that gods are fictional characters — as long as they are the gods of the other religions. For example, when we ask people about the Horned God of the Wicca religion, most people on Earth would consider him the work of fiction. Likewise, the majority of people on Earth when asked would consider Vishnu and Brahma myths. The majority of people on Earth also believe that the Triune God of Christianity is a human invention. People usually think that the gods of the other religions are fiction. If something is a god to one group of people, it is a fictional entity to most others.
Atheists apply the same logic to all gods at once. To an atheist, all gods are human inventions.
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
Stephen Roberts
From an atheist point of view, gods are fictional characters that do not exist. Believers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahai Faith) purport that their god is the all-powerful being and the creator of the world. Hence, he cannot be a fictional being.
Atheists note that it does not matter how much power we ascribe to a fictional character — it still remains a fictional character. If we say that the fairy in Cinderella story has magical powers, that she can live forever, or even that she created the world, she still remains just a fictional character.
Some religions hold that their scripture came directly from God: Christians believe that God inspired the writers of the Bible. Muslims believe that the Quran was dictated by God. Hindus believe that the Laws of Manu were dictated to the first human (Manu) by a god, or that the Vedas were handed down from mythical ancestors. Does this supernatural origin of the stories not vouch for their correctness?
For an atheist, these stories about the origin of the scriptures are no truer than the stories within the scriptures themselves. The stories about the scripture were made up in just the same way. God did not inspire the writers of the Bible — that was just something the writers of scripture would say (or that others would say about them). Nor did God dictate the Quran — the Prophet Muhammad just wrote the verses himself and then claimed that God dictated them. The Laws of Manu were not dictated by a god — the Brahmans made up the story and ascribed it to Manu. In the eyes of atheists, not only are scriptures myth, but the stories about their divine origin are as well.
As an example, consider the tales of "1001 Nights". Legend has it that a woman called Scheherazade was to spend a last night with the king before being executed. She told the king a story, but did not end it. The king, curious about how the story ends, postponed her execution — and so it goes on for 1001 nights. The stories she told were then collected in the book of "1001 Nights". While the stories themselves are known to be fictitious, many people believe that Scheherazade actually existed. She did not: the entire frame story for the book is a fabrication, just like the other 1001 stories between the covers. In other words, not only are the stories of "1001 Nights" made up, but also the person who told them.
To atheists, it is the same with the stories about gods: Not just the stories themselves are fictitious, but also the legends that surround them.
For an atheist, gods are the products of fiction. However, believers maintain that certain figures of the religions were real. For example, there is little doubt that Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, and Buddha existed. Doesn't this mean that everything else is real as well?
Yes, King's Cross railway station exists. But Platform 9 ¾ does not exist (or only as a tourist attraction).
at King's Cross railway station in London
Fictional stories often mix reality with invention. For example, consider the Harry Potter stories, a series of children's books by J. K. Rowling. Harry, the hero of the book, uses the train at King's Cross railway station in London. London exists in reality. Even the railway station exists in reality. It's just that everything else in the story is fiction woven around these items. Platform 9 ¾ does not exist in reality and nor does the Hogwarts' Express train. In a similar vein, some items in the legends about gods are definitively real. However, that does not make the gods real.
Did this man really travel to hell and back? Of course not.
of the statue of Dante Alighieri in Florence/Italy
Sometimes, the inventor of the stories is himself a character of the story. In Dante Alighieri's "Divina Commedia", he tells a story of how he travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Even though Dante existed, he did not really make this trip. He just made up a story and wrote it in first person. Today, the story is considered one of the greatest works of world literature. In a similar vein, the prophets can have created stories in which they themselves appear (as the son of God, or as a prophet), but this does not make the stories real.
Sometimes a story will attach a legend to a real character. For example, Shakespeare develops his famous play "Macbeth" around King Macbeth, who was a real king of Scotland . Even though real people and real events make it into the play, for the most part the play is fiction. The real King Macbeth probably never said the famous words "Is this a dagger which I see before me / The handle toward my hand?". Likewise, Lady Macbeth (who appears in the play) has no historic equivalent. She did not exist in reality. In a similar vein, stories about prophets and gods can mix reality and fiction. They can ascribe fictional phrases or stories to people of the real world. This does not make these stories true.
Sometimes, the story references itself. For example, in the Harry Potter books, the main character reads a book called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". This book did not exist in the real world , and neither did its purported author, Newt Scamander. However, later on, the real author of the Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling, decided to write a real book entitled "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" in the real world. So now there is a real-world book called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". To make matters even more confusing, she published the book in the real world under the pseudonym Newt Scamander. Thus, what was a fiction in the first book became reality later on. Whoever reads the Harry Potter series could imagine that mention of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" in it refers to the real book that exists in the real world. However, that book and its purported author are still fictional creations.
In a similar manner, religious books can mix imaginary and real authorship. For example, the Quran (the holy book of Islam) repeatedly refers to itself as the holy book revealed by God. However, the Quran was written years after the death of the prophet who received these revelations.
I find it funny that some people are comparing John Lennon and God....
I mean, he was great, and all, but he's no John Lennon!
In atheist eyes, gods are the work of fiction. Therefore, atheists do not believe that gods are real. Believers retort that the prophets who told us about the gods were honest people. If they were honest, then their experiences were real, and the gods really exist.
Unfortunately, it is very hard to figure out whether the prophets were honest, let alone whether they existed. For example, current scholarly opinion holds that the Gospels of the Bible were not written by the 4 apostles. Rather, the stories were most likely compiled from different sources by different authors. Furthermore, they were written about 20 to 100 years after Jesus's death. It is difficult to uphold the honesty of an author whom we do not even know. In all likelihood no author of the Gospels actually met Jesus.
Islam, for its part, traces the Quran to the authorship of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, however, was illiterate. He did not write the Quran. The stories were memorized by his followers and written down near or after the death of the prophet. While Muslim consensus holds that the stories were transmitted truthfully and verified through cross-validation, nobody knows what happened 1300 years ago with these stories.
Newer religions (such as Scientology, the Wicca faith, Mormonism, or the Bahai faith) can typically trace their holy book in a verifiable way to their prophet. These books also claim the existence of the supernatural. However, they find only few adherents. For some reason, the majority of people prefer to believe prophets that are dead for a longer time.
And that reason is simple: What do most people do when someone comes and tells them that God talked to him? They usually do not take him seriously. If he continues to say that God talks to him, they usually consider him insane. And rightly so: We have no verified case where a god talked to a human, and hence we regard such experiences today as a sign of mental problems. For example, every year dozens of people claim they saw God in Jerusalem. This is known as the Jerusalem Syndrome . We do not believe these people; instead, we give them psychological treatment. The reasons for such purported encounters are sometimes linked to hallucinations, schizophrenia, dehydration, or epilepsy. Now if we do not believe these people today, then why should we believe a person who talked to God hundreds of years ago? There is, in the eyes of an atheist, no reason.
There is another argument against the honesty of the prophets. It applies to all religions and goes as follows: If the prophet of one religion is seen as honest, then there is no reason not to assume that the prophets of all the other religions were honest as well. We should treat the proclamations of these prophets the same as we do the first prophet. However, religions rarely know about or acknowledge the validity of other faiths. No religion views all the prophets of other religions as completely honest and literally accurate in their proclamations. If they did, then they would have to believe in a plethora of gods and contradictory convictions. Thus, for every prophet, atheists simply side with the majority of people — by not believing his stories.
Men think epilepsy divine, because they don't understand it. We will one day understand what causes it, and then cease to call it divine. And so it is with everything divine in the universe.
Religious books such as the Bible, the Quran, Dianetics, or the Hindu Scriptures are often taken as evidence for the existence of gods. Yet taking these books as proof for the existence of gods is no different from taking the story of Cinderella as proof for the existence of the good fairy. Such narratives cannot prove the existence of anything.
Adherents of different religions typically provide proofs for the authenticity of their books. Yet these proofs usually convince only those who believe in the religion anyway, and rarely move the adherents of other religions (who have themselves proof for the authenticity of their books). We discuss holy books in detail in the Chapter on Religions, with the Christian Bible and the Muslim Quran in their own articles.
To an atheist, gods are fictional entities. So then we can argue that other abstract things should also be fictional entities to an atheist. For example, is love not also a fictional entity? If so, then this would render the atheist world model nonsensical.
However, love is not a fictional entity. "Love" is the name for the feeling of intense affection 1. Whenever we have such a feeling, we use the word "love" for it (because the phrase "feeling of intense affection" is clumsy to say). Thus, "love" is a label for a phenomenon of the real world. It is not a fictitious entity. In particular, "love" implies something in the real world. It implies a feeling associated with a desire to be with another person and to help that person. A similar argument applies for other abstract concepts. As far as they are meaningful, they are all abbreviations for real-world phenomena, or can be used to derive statements about real-world phenomena.
The same cannot be said of gods. The statement "God exists" does not imply anything in the real world that we could not also imply without this assumption. The statement is irrelevant for the real world, and thus literally meaningless. Hence, atheists conclude, gods are fictional.
When inventing a god, the most important thing is to claim that it is invisible, inaudible, and imperceptible in every way. Otherwise, people will become skeptical, when it appears to no one and does nothing.
The Atheist Bible, next chapter: Proofs for Gods
Oxford Dictionary: Love


The Met Office advise that there is a 90 per cent probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions/snow between now on Thursday 31 January and 9am on Friday 1 February in the South East of England, including the Island.
There may be widespread frost and occasional wintry showers. Some snowfall and ice is possible in places and there may be significant wind chill at times in strong winds.
Although thankfully not often needed, the IW council has robust and tested cold weather emergency arrangements in place. Island Roads monitor the weather accordingly to ensure that key main roads are gritted and kept clear. In addition, 4x4 arrangements are in place to ensure that key council staff such as those in social care are able to continue to deliver services within the community.
However the best advice is to make sure in adverse weather condition, you only go out if really necessary and keep warm in your homes and check on vulnerable neighbours, such as the ill and the elderly.
The Met Office is indicating a 90 per cent probability of severe cold weather from today up until Friday 1 February in parts of England.
There may be widespread frost and occasional wintry showers.


We pride ourselves on long lasting relationships with our customers, an excellent safety record, polite and professional staff, competitive pricing, prompt and reliable service, and our integrity within the community. Our company believes that all of our customers have unique and individual needs; no two locations are the same. We want to develop that strong and long lasting relationship with you and your family in order to satisfy all of those individual requirements. Schrader Propane is the local company you can trust, and the only one that can provide the excellent service that everybody deserves. Give one of our locations a call today and see what we can offer.
Perry, Clay and Casey Schrader.
From our Fort Collins location we currently service the following in Larimer and Weld County: Ault, Bellvue, Berthoud, Carr, Drake, Eaton, Fort Collins, Galeton, Johnstown, LaPorte, Livermore, Loveland, Masonville, Nunn, Pierce, Severance, Wellington, Windsor, and surrounding areas.
From our Steamboat Springs location we currently service the following in Routt County: Clark, Hahns Peak, Hayden, Milner, Oak Creek, Phippsburg, Stagecoach, Steamboat, Toponas, Yampa, and surrounding areas.
Welcome to Schrader Propane's new website, thanks for visiting! In this section we will periodically post news about the propane industry as well as other tidbits about Schrader Propane's company. Don't forget to check in often to hear the latest.


From Toronto to New York, Justina designs reside in fashion capitals around the world. Her bridal and couture gowns have been enjoyed by the likes of Laureen Harper and former ballerina Karen Kain.
She outfitted Kate Hudson in a custom gown when her character married Richard Gere in the 2000 romantic comedy Dr. T & the Women. Her dresses are sold in Kleinfeld, the bridal shop of Say Yes to Dress, and One Tree Hill's Bethany Joy Lenz married in one of Justina's gowns.
Outside of bridal wear, her other creations have garnered international acclaim. She designed a tutu for the National Ballet of Canada and advised Knock out!, a lingerie line based out of Asheville, North Carolina.
Justina's personal career highlight occurred when she designed a pluvial cope, a long and ornamental cape, for Pope John Paul II. The garment is currently archived in the Vatican.
She recently opened Justina Atelier in Gatineau, a bridal and evening wear store dedicated to walking clients through the design experience and giving them the royal treatment.
Last October, Justina joined Ottawa Life Magazine as a fashion columnist and her first piece came out in January.
Take a look at Justina's designs at http://www.justinabridal.ca or follow her on Twitter @justinabridal.


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The Time Is Now News
CHASING JUSTICE ONE STORY AT A TIME BECAUSE ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Blog Hits, 44,383,051
LOSE-LOSE SITUATION: ENERGY CRISIS IN EUROPE & RUSSIANS FLEEING PUTIN!!! Some Guy!
September 22, 2022 September 22, 2022 The Time Is Now News No comments
HUGE PROTESTS CONTINUE WORLDWIDE
ENERGY CRISIS IN EUROPE IS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE
AFTER PRESIDENT PUTIN ANNOUNCED A PARTIAL MOBILIZATION
AND WILL SEND 300,000 NEW TROOPS TO UKRAINE
THAT MEANS MORE TENSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND NATO
And the energy crisis in Europe will get worse
…BUT RUSSIA IS NOT ANY BETTER
After President Putin announced the partial military mobilization
There are three waves of reaction in Russia: PROTESTING, FLEEING and FOLLOWING. click on to see video…
Commentary by thetimeisnownews
Nancy Pelosi says that Jewish people will vote back in the PEDOPHILES and those that condoned the FAKE KILLER VACCINES, THE LOCKDOWNS, the JOB LOSSES, the BLM BURNING OUR CITIES! NANCY SAYS THAT JEWISH PEOPLE WILL NOT VOTE FOR HUMANITY BUT INSTEAD VOTE FOR THOSE WHOM HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. AS PEOPLE STARVE, FREEZE AND LOSE THEIR HOUSES BECAUSE OF FAKE CLIMATE CHANGE NANCY SAYS JEWISH PEOPLE WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! So you speak for the Jews now Nancy Pelosi do you? What are you a Holocaust denier also????????? Do you believe Jewish people eat children every day also???? Shame on you for giving Jewish People a bad name!!!! The Time Is Now News
ARCHBISHOP VIGANÒ CALLS FOR AN ANTI-GLOBALIST ALLIANCE AND INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNALS "In the face of this global coup d'état, it is necessary to form an international antiglobalist alliance which gathers all those who want to oppose the dictatorship who have no intention of becoming slaves to a faceless power, who are not willing to cancel their own identity, their own individuality, their own religious faith. If the attack is global, the defense must also be global. I call upon rulers, politicians and religious leaders…inviting them to unite in an alliance that launches an antiglobalist manifesto, refuting point by point the errors and deviation of this dsytopian new world order and proposing concrete alternatives.. It will have to denounce the crimes of the elite, identify those responsible, denounce them to international tribunals, and limit their excessive power and harmful influence." click on to see video…
Archives Select Month February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 November 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 May 2018 April 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016
WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY PERMITTING WHEN CLICKING "I'M NOT A ROBOT." YOU WON'T LIKE THIS! click on to see video...
A COP SHOOTS A REAL CRIMINAL FOR A CHANGE - INDIAN HEALTH MINISTER SHOT DEAD BY COP. How many People have these " Health " POS maimed and Killed???? Get Ready because as more innocent people Drop Dead from the Fake Vaccine, Vigilante Justice is coming into view. It will be the ONLY way People can have some Peace of Mind when the Suffering and Death is in clear sight. Everyone including Doctors, especially PEDIATRICIANS, Nurses, Hospitals, Clinicians, Pharmacies, State and Federal Agencies, Government, FBI, CIA, CDC, FDA, Pharma Companies CEOS, they will all be in sight. As more parents, and there has already been ALOT, watch their children die, LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!! This Health Minister shot Dead! Not surprised. click on to see video
HUMAN TRAFFICKING & THE SOAP PROJECT. Important topic. click on to see video...
BILL GATES IS A LIAR. JUST LOOK AT HIM HERE. click on to see video...
TRUMP @WEF DRAINING THE SWAMP AND MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!! LUCKY AMERICA!!!!!! click on to see video...
SOUTH AFRICA - CALLS TO SUSPEND FAKE CV19 FAKE VACCINES "DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS!!!" click on to see video...
Here are the gatekeepers of the Criminals, the Pedos and the Fake Vaccine Killers. They work for the Criminals and The People are their ENEMIES! click on for link...
MRNA 'VACCINE' GENOCIDE 2021-2022 WITH TESTIMONIES FROM THE VICTIMS AND MEDICAL STAFF click on to see video...
The ONLY one that deserves your FAITH AND TRUST is GOD.
Gitmo is expanding. It seems that President Trump is still at the helm. click to see video...
Categories Select Category Commentary by thetimeisnownews
Kimberly McGregor Clark
THE MOB MENTALITY can bring about TREMENDOUS CHANGE! All through history the angry Mobs have brought Kings to their knees, dragged Rulers to the Gallows. When there are BILLION and BILLIONS and BILLIONS of raging people, they can tear down anything to get to anyone. Remember that. You Fucking Psychopath Morons might have started this Genocide but YOU HAD BETTER LISTEN TO ME, THE PEOPLE WILL END IT!!!! THE ENDING WILL NOT BE FOR EVERYONE. NO ONE CAN STOP WHAT IS COMING. CONTROLLED OPPOSITION SHOULD JUST STEP THE FUCK ASIDE BECAUSE MONEY WILL NOT SAVE THEM. THEY THREW JACINDA TO THE WOLVES FASTER THAN YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE! YOUR NOT SAFE! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!
If these Dummy Hollywood non talented Actors and Musicians knew what was good for them they would keep their Fucking Mouths SHUT!!! People have a Tendency to get revengeful when those they love are MURDERED! And the ones who Pushed the Poison will be taken FIRST!!!!! An Eye For An Eye! Ah so you think your kids are safe but others are disposable???? MEDIA, where are you hanging out these days? So many want to know. It's coming Quick!
A COP SHOOTS A REAL CRIMINAL FOR A CHANGE – INDIAN HEALTH MINISTER SHOT DEAD BY COP. How many People have these " Health " POS maimed and Killed???? Get Ready because as more innocent people Drop Dead from the Fake Vaccine, Vigilante Justice is coming into view. It will be the ONLY way People can have some Peace of Mind when the Suffering and Death is in clear sight. Everyone including Doctors, especially PEDIATRICIANS, Nurses, Hospitals, Clinicians, Pharmacies, State and Federal Agencies, Government, FBI, CIA, CDC, FDA, Pharma Companies CEOS, they will all be in sight. As more parents, and there has already been ALOT, watch their children die, LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!! This Health Minister shot Dead! Not surprised. click on to see video
Hasn't this Farce gone on long enough??? Biden is the President. Trump will save America in 2 years after he gets elected. Michael Obama is on Television talking about having menopause. How much longer are we, as a Country willing to be under a delusion of sanity? Everything is Fake. This is what the New World Order wanted. When everything Americans believed was true was actually false, America would be theirs for the taking. Do YOU understand?????? Americans must rise up and take back the reins NOW!!!! Do not listen to one fucking thing they say, Veritas, Election Fraud, Mike's Menopause. They are Killing people with poison as the people look at all this shit!!!!!!!!! Where are the MEN?????????
TRUMP @WEF DRAINING THE SWAMP AND MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!! LUCKY AMERICA!!!!!! click on to see video…
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Michael Hansen (22 de setembro de 1971) é um ex-futebolista profissional dinamarquês que atuava como meia.

Carreira
Michael Hansen representou a Seleção Dinamarquesa de Futebol nas Olimpíadas de 1992.

Futebolistas olímpicos da Dinamarca
Futebolistas nos Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 1992
Jogadores da Seleção Dinamarquesa de Futebol

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sportsbook Poker (www.Sportsbook.com) is an online poker room that opened for business in 2006 on the Cake Poker Network, but has since moved to the Merge Poker Network. Although the poker room is relatively new, the Sportsbook.com betting site has been on the Internet since 1997. In 2006, Sportsbook.com decided to enter the poker business and increase its lineup of betting options.
Sportsbook Poker is one of our top rated online poker rooms. Sportsbook is a leading skin on the Merge network, meaning that there are tons of players online at all times. Plus, the competition is extremely fishy as most players wander to the poker room from the sportsbook or casino.
Plus, Sportsbook.com is currently running a special promotion for all BestPokerSites.org visitors - sign up through any of the Sportsbook.com links on this page and use bonus code BEST1000PK upon deposit to automatically receive a 100% up to $1,000 deposit bonus.
So far, the Sportsbook.com poker room has been an impressive new poker site. US and Canadian players are accepted and the player traffic at the poker site is solid. The Cake Poker Network is growing at a steady rate and new players are joining every day. Despite a short history on the internet, the Sportsbook.com poker room has proven to be a popular choice for online poker players.
New players who sign up and use the Sportsbook bonus code BEST1000PK will qualify for a 100% bonus on their first deposit there. This bonus gives players up to $1,000 in extra cash after making a deposit. This is one of the larger poker deposit bonuses out there and it is not very difficult to clear. To enter the bonus code, make your first deposit then go to the Rewards tab in the Sportsbook poker lobby.
In order to release the bonus, players must play in real money poker games and earn frequent player points. Every FPP a player earns is worth $0.06 in bonus money, and the money is released in $10 increments. Players have a total of 90 days to clear this bonus, which should be plenty of time. FPPs are earned at a rate of 1 FPP per dollar paid in rake in cash games and at a rate of 7 FPPs per $1.00 paid in tournament fees.
For a further discussion of the bonuses/promotions, check out our complete Sportsbook Poker bonus guide.
Multi-tabling is allowed at Sportsbook.com and the software runs well without interruptions or slowdowns. Note taking and text-based hand histories make analyzing your play after each session a breeze. Overall, the Sportsbook.com poker software doesn't go above and beyond the norm but it works well and offers players exactly what they came for: non-stop poker action.
Sportsbook.com doesn't have as many tournaments as some of the bigger poker sites but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are still $5,000,000 in guaranteed tournaments every month, including a once-a-month $250,000 guarantee and a weekly $125,000 guarantee. The tournament players here are softer than average and the tournaments don't take as long as they do at some of the bigger poker sites out there.
In addition to normal freezeout tournaments, Sportsbook.com also hosts a variety of other tournaments such as turbos, lightning turbos, kamikaze tournaments, heads-up tournaments, sit-n-gos, rebuys, shootouts, and satellites. The selection is impressive and offers something for every type of tournament player.
Player traffic at Sportsbook.com is consistent but could use some improvement. There are usually several thousand players online at a time, which is enough to fill up tables at most levels and provide plenty of tournament action. Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular poker game offered by Sportsbook.com. If you play other poker variants, you might instead want to check out PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker.
On the positive side, the light player traffic provides the players with much softer poker games than normal. Most of the players who sign up at Sportsbook.com are casual poker players looking for a little fun. As a result, the games here are easier and more light-hearted than they are at the larger poker sites.
Sportsbook.com offers a variety of deposit options but credit card deposits are the most popular. The site is known for having an incredibly high acceptance rate of US-based credit cards. Credit cards that are usually blocked at other poker sites are processed without a hitch at Sportsbook.com.
The minimum poker deposit is $20 and the maximum is $1,000 per day and $6,000 per month. Sportsbook.com is willing to increase deposit limits if you send them an e-mail and provide proof of your identity.
Support at Sportsbook.com is definitely above average. The company has a history that dates back to 1997 and they learned the value of customer support a long time ago. Players can call them toll free 24 hours a day or contact them via e-mail. The customer support reps are courteous and take care of problems quickly. This is definitely above average for the online poker industry.
Ready to Play? Visit Sportsbook Poker to Get Started Now!
Now that you know everything about Sportsbook.com, it's time to play. Visit Sportsbook through any of the links on this page and use bonus code BEST1000PK to automatically receive our exclusive 100% up to $1,000 bonus.


Approximately two (maybe three? I honestly don't remember) months ago I presented my idea to start blogging regularly to see how much traffic I got. I began posting a blog every Monday and a photo every Wednesday. I started a Twitter page and a Facebook page.
I've done my "test time" to see how it panned out, and while I'm getting decent traffic after only a couple of months, I've decided that I'm just not into it enough to make it a regular thing. I'm really realizing that I write my blog for the release of writing or excitement to share my stories, not for the publicity or social networking. Like… at all.
Last week we had an awful flu take out our whole family and I just didn't have time to get on the computer. And over that week, my addiction broke. Now all I see is that I'm losing myself to the computer and I'm missing out on a lot of quality time with my kiddos. Time I'm not going to get back. The only quality time I recently had with my kids – where I didn't jump up to check the computer – was when they got the flu. That wasn't cool with me at all.
I will continue to blog and share my stories about raising my insanely energetic son and twin girls, but I won't be posting regularly every Monday anymore. I'm also going to be getting rid of my Supermom Facebook page and Twitter page. Honestly, I don't do well with schedules and I get myself too stressed trying to remember to write something by Monday morning (HUGE kudos to WAHMs!).
Another reason I'm cutting back is because I've been writing a book. It's a fantasy romance novel (and no, it's not about vampires) and I'm about 3/4 of the way through with writing it. I've been working on it since October of 2011 and I've only recently gotten a really good hold of my writing and feel more confident that there actually is an end in sight for my book.
When I finally sat down and decided to cut down on all of this, I really felt happy with my decision to simplify. This is the right thing to do. No amount of blogging publicity is worth compromising my time with my family during the day. I will work on my book on occasional evenings when the kids are in bed and I will identify as a stay at home mom, not a mommy blogger. I'm really liking this decision!
But don't worry. I will continue to write my blog posts when I get the time or something happens in my life that I just have to share with you all. There's just no way I'd make it through motherhood without sharing my stories. 🙂 Love you all and thanks for sticking with me!


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Bouncing back from unforeseen constraints
I love unforeseen constraints. Why? Constraints force me to be creative.
When I build a new technology product or work with an entirely new new team, ideal results are rare on the first try. It's a process to be worked, not a switch to be flipped. I take a flexible, life-scientist style approach of trial-error-selection-variation. That way, when unforeseen constraints arise, I adapt and handle them with ease.
Poor piano
I've mentioned before I enjoy Tim Harford's TED talks. In this one, he tells an awesome story about how Vera Brandes, a 17 year old German concert promoter, set up a special piano event at the Cologne Opera House. By mistake, a clunker practice piano was provided for the show.
For world renowned jazz musician Keith Jarrett an old, crappy instrument wasn't what he expected at all. Still, he decided to play. He summoned all his determination and creativity out of that beaten down backstage piano. The final outcome was the most famous jazz concert ever recorded.
As Harford tells it:
"Within moments it became clear that something magical was happening. Jarrett was avoiding the faulty upper registers, he was sticking to the middle tones of the keyboard, which gave the piece a soothing, ambient quality. But also, because the piano was so quiet, he had to set up these rumbling, repetitive riffs in the bass. And he stood up twisting, pounding down on the keys, desperately trying to create enough volume to reach the people in the back row.
It's an electrifying performance. It somehow has this peaceful quality, and at the same time it's full of energy, it's dynamic. And the audience loved it. Audiences continue to love it because the recording of the Köln Concert is the best-selling piano album in history and the best-selling solo jazz album in history."
Mindset makes the difference
Think about it. Something goes wrong or an unexpected constraint appears. If my reaction is negative, it affects me and my team. But if I consider the constraint as part of the process, I can step back and look at the constraint as an opportunity for creativity.
Are you in the process of bouncing back? It might not be clear exactly what to do and this can be tricky. The people at the top in life are always working, growing and improving with the help of others. It's how you got to where you are, and it's how you will get up through the next stage on your journey.


There are numerous solid network marketing companies in the market place. The network marketing company you choose is important to your success, however, it isn't as important as you may think. You need more than just a solid company in order to become successful and build a residual income.
We have identified six criteria that will assist you in selecting the right network marketing opportunity for you. These six criteria are needed in order to have the "Complete Package". The "Complete Package" is essentially everything you need in order to build a full time residual income.
This guide isn't going to tell you the best company out there, because there is no best company. Rather, the goal of this guide is to help educate you so you can make a decision on the right network marketing opportunity for you and then move forward confidently with building your business.
The ultimate goal of this book is to help find your next and last network marketing opportunity.


Asian Kung-Fu Generation's new album World World World is a keeper. It contains the two singles, "After Dark" from Bleach and "Aru Machi No Gunjo"from Tekkon Kinkreet. The single for "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu" was released last month and surprisingly hasn't been picked up for an anime theme…yet. My favorite track on the album however is "Night Diving" which includes duel vocals with Goto and guitarist Kita. I've been gay for Kita's vocals since "Uso no Wonderland," hopefully he'll get to sing some more tracks in the future.
You are currently browsing the archives for the Bleach category.


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Collegium System is alien to the Indian Constitution: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju
"Merely because a decision was taken by the judges, how can you expect that decision to be backed by the people," said Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. He was speaking at the Times Now Summit on November 25.
Nov 27, 2022, 10:37 am IST
https://organiser.org/wp-content/uploads/speaker/post-99889.mp3?cb=1669525638.mp3
"Collegium System is alien to the Indian Constitution. Judges draw authority from the people of India and the Constitution. Merely because a decision was taken by the judges, how can you expect that decision to be backed by the people," said Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. He was speaking at the Times Now Summit on November 25.
"We (government) very well respect the Collegium System until and unless it is replaced by a better system…As long as this system is prevailing, I have to respect the system," he added.
"But if you expect that the Government to merely approve the name for the appointment of Judges, just because the same is recommended by the Collegium System, what is the role of the government then? There are loopholes in the Collegium System. Now, people are raising their voices that this system is not transparent. The Government is doing certain things which it is expected to do," he said.
"Never say that the government is sitting on the files, then don't send the files to the government, you appoint yourself, you run the show then. The executive and the judiciary have to work together, they have to serve the country. There is no question of any fight for supremacy, it is the question of service to the nation. If anything is alien to the Constitution of India, then we are bound to raise the questions," the Union Minister said.
Shri Rijiju was responding to a question on government "sitting" on various Supreme Court collegium recommendations at a time when cases are piling up in courts.
"I can't tell judges how they should behave but the convention says that the judges must speak through their judgments. If a judge involves in some kind of commentary which touches the sentiments of the people, then we have to think whether the judge or his judgment has crossed the Lakshman Rekha, thereby inviting criticism. One must be careful," he added.
Topics: Supreme CourtConstitutionCollegium systemIndian ConstitutionUnion Law MinisterKiren Rijiju
Satyendar Jain's jail luxury saga continues: Latest footage shows house-keeping service being provided in Jain's cell
SC order on salaries for Imams is in Delhi in violation of the constitution, encourages pan-Islamist tendencies: CIC
PIL on RTE Act: Why is PIL only for the cause of 'Minority' and not 'Majority'? questions Supreme Court
P Bhushan, Mahua Moitra & N Ram move SC challenging Govt's decision to block BBC documentary; SC to hear PIL on Feb 6
"Polygamy is anathema to women's dignity": Zakia Soman, Co-founder, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
ED case against Rana Ayyub: Supreme Court asks Ghaziabad special court to adjourn proceedings till January 31


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Tag: Julian Edelman
NFL Super Bowl 51 Preview – Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots
NFL Super Bowl 51 Preview
Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots
With the Falcons' 44–21 beating of the Packers, and the Patriots' 36–17 destruction of the Steelers in Sunday's conference championship games, the country has seen just two competitive playoff games out of the 10 played to this point. Will the Houston Super Bowl on February 5th be any different? For that answer, let's get an early look at the factors that will determine the winner of Super Bowl 51 (Play at FanPicks).
It's all about the quarterbacks
Just about any way you slice it, this is a matchup between the top two passers in the league. Atlanta's Matt Ryan and New England's Tom Brady ended up No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in pretty much every efficient stats rankings. They are masters of their craft, have plenty of weapons around them, and have two of the best playcallers (Kyle Shanahan and Josh McDaniels) at their disposal. To beat Brady, you have to disguise and change up both the pressure and coverage looks on just about every snap. The Falcons, to this point, have not shown the ability to do that. That will be an important factor in the game. Ryan has trouble with tight, disciplined coverage. With Malcolm Butler locking up either Julio Jones or Mohamed Sanu, and Logan Ryan on the other with safety help, Ryan may have to make a living throwing to the running backs and tight end's Levine Toilolo and Austin Hooper. The Patriots have had more issues with supporting actors than those in starring roles. The Falcons have the ability to exploit that.
Running backs will be a huge factor
Sure, the quarterbacks may get all the attention, but the running backs from each team are used to taking advantage of the shortcomings on opposing defenses. The Falcons have one of the most talented duos in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Freeman is the better runner, but Shanahan loves to use both to exploit mismatches in the pass game. McDaniels likes to use Dion Lewis and James White in a similar fashion via the pass, and Lewis has taken over as the every-down running back. LeGarrette Blount is the short yardage and finish-the-game bruiser.
What's in common?
The Falcons and Patriots each had five common opponents (Denver, Seattle, Arizona, Los Angeles and San Francisco) and went 4–1 (each team lost to the Seahawks, with Atlanta losing on the road and the Patriots at home). The cumulative scores were 168–88 for Atlanta; 119–82 for New England. The Falcons had an average margin of victory of 20.5 points, and the Patriots were at 11.0. The Patriots didn't have Tom Brady in their two-point victory over the Cardinals, a team the Falcons beat by 19.
Atlanta's offense is exceptional
Under the spotlight of the Super Bowl, this Falcons offense may finally get its due. We're talking about a unit that can rival the Greatest Show on Turf Rams for explosiveness. They scored 540 points this season, which is tied for eighth all time with those 2000 Rams. Sure, the team is uber-talented with wideout's Jones, Sanu and Taylor Gabriel, and running backs's Freeman and Coleman, but don't underestimate the job coordinator Shanahan has done. At this point, everyone thinks it's all about the talent. But remember, Sanu was an underachieving No. 2 with the Bengals and Gabriel was a Browns castoff before this season. Freeman and Coleman were thought to be nice players, but not game changers. That all changed this season because of the way Shanahan designs plays and attacks defenses. There are few better at taking an opponent's tendencies and using them against them.
The Patriots defense will have a say
New England's defense certainly proved its "best scoring defense" was no fluke in the win over the Steelers. And remember who put an end to those 2000s Rams teams (Spoiler Alert: It was the 2001 Patriots). New England may not have many big names on defense (Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty and Malcolm Butler are about it), but the sum is better than the parts. Certainly the Falcons will be a huge challenge, but everyone knows Bill Belichick and his staff can defend anything with two weeks to prepare.
The Patriots' offensive line should have an advantage
After a shaky outing against the Texans, the Patriots' offensive line completely dominated the Steelers. The Falcons' unit is certainly solid but it's not quite as good as the Patriots. The Patriots have the edge at left tackle (Nate Solder), right guard (Shaq Mason) and right tackle (Marcus Cannon), while the Falcons have an advantage at center (Alex Mack) and left guard (Andy Levitre).
Experience doesn't matter
Expect a lot to be made this week about how this is Matt Ryan's first Super Bowl appearance versus Tom Brady's seventh (with four victories). Certainly the disparity is notable, but it ignores the fact that several passers have beaten those with more experience in recent years. Some of those on the list: Russell Wilson over Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers over Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning over Brady and Brady over Kurt Warner.
You have to stop more than one guy
Each quarterback has a security blanket. For the Patriots, it's Julian Edelman (158 targets in the regular season). Atlanta has Jones (129). Certainly a lot of attention needs to paid to each of those players, but both quarterbacks are deft at distributing the ball. The Patriots had seven players catch at least three touchdowns (tight end Martellus Bennett led with seven), and so did the Falcons (Jones and Gabriel tied with six). In the postseason, both Sanu (Falcons) and Chris Hogan (Patriots) had two touchdowns receiving.
Where's the pressure?
It looks like the opening over/under line for the Super Bowl is an astounding 59 points. No shock there, considering these two offenses. But it also says something about the defenses, which were both great on Sunday but don't exactly get a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks. The Patriots didn't affect Roethlisberger that much and don't have a dominating rusher, although Trey Flowers is solid. And the Falcons' only true pass rushing threat is Vic Beasley. The game may very well be determined by which team is able to dial up the most pressure and make that top quarterback move off his spot in the pocket.
Austin Hooper, Chris Hogan, Daily Fantasy Sports, Devin McCourty, Devonta Freeman, Dion Lewis, Dontt'a Hightower, Falcons, fantasy football, Julian Edelman, Julio Jone, LeGarette Blount, Levine Toilolo, Malcom Butler, Martellus Bennett, Matt Ryan, Mohammed Sanu, NFL, Patriots, Playoffs, Super Bowl 51, Tavin Coleman, Taylor Gabriel, Tom Brady, Trey Flowers, Vic Beasley
Mike Barrett
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos 1/24/16 Preview & Picks
At 3:05 pm, Tom Brady and his New England Patriots will face-off with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Tom Brady is one of the greatest, if not the greatest quarterback of all-time. Peyton Manning is one of the greatest, if not the greatest quarterback of all-time. Tom Brady is in the running for 2015 league MVP. Peyton Manning is starting for the second consecutive week after taking the job back from Brock Osweiler. My Point? The Patriots will go as far as Brady takes them. The Broncos will go as far as their defense takes them.
While I don't expect Julian Edelman or Brandon LaFell to beat those long, rangy Denver CBs over the top, Edelman has the potential to catch a ton of short, underneath passes. He's definitely a WR1, as Brady could easily target him 12+ times in such an important game. Something along the lines of 10 catches for 110 yards and a TD could be what you're looking at in return of the high price tag. It would be a surprise to me if LaFell can muster up anything DFS relevant in his matchup against Harris Jr. (though battling an injury) and Talib.
Danny Amendola working the slot has a much better shot at putting up a big game than the Patriots official #2 wideout. Though he only caught two balls on three targets last week and has been limited in practice due to a knee injury all week, he provides the same kind of quick twitch inside ability as Edelman does, which is how you want to attack this stout defense.
Finally, the man you all want to hear about: Rob Grrrrronkowski. Gronk could have a MONSTER game here. With the ferocious pass-rushing ability that the Broncos possess, Bill Belichick will want to feature his star TE up the seam to take the pressure off Tom Brady. There is no better way to keep the linebackers at home than to force them to drop into coverage because the Gronk is just destroying you. Maybe he won't have monster yardage, but I'm banking on two TDs on Sunday.
Steven Jackson definitely won't be a DFS factor, so James White is the Pats back to own. His pass-caching ability on swings, screens and checkdowns will also be instrumental in slowing down Demarcus Ware, Von Miller and co. He should have his fair share of chances to make plays.
On the home team's side, the Sheriff Peyton Manning will need to execute flawlessly to lead his Broncos to the Super Bowl contest. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders will need to bust out some major YAC's to spearhead this attack, while CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman churn out chunks on the ground.
Demaryius Thomas will face a big matchup with Patriots CB Logan Ryan. Ryan shut him down in Week 12, with three pass breakups and as Brock Osweiler went 1-of-8 for 36 yards when targeting Thomas. He is a big target and constant red-zone threat, but isn't always the dominant factor you're looking for.
Sanders most likely will be face-to-face with Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler on Sunday. The very same Butler that he beat deep in November when he piled up 113 yards. His work in tight and quickness allow him to get separation against a tight Patriots D, and he works hard to run after the catch and eat up yardage.
CJ Anderson and Hillman are always a toss up, but Anderson had his best game of the year against New England with 113 yards of his own and two TDs. The run game can be inconsistent, but the Broncos need it to be on point on Sunday.
Advice: Brady, Gronkowski, Sanders, Edelman, and Anderson should be the top performers. Of course that comes with a hefty price tag, so discounts like James White could be the key to your DFS victory.
AFC, CJ Anderson, Daily Fantasy Sports, Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos, DFS, emmanual sanders, fantasy, James White, Julian Edelman, New England Patriots, NFL, Peyton Manning, Rob Gronkowski, Ronnie Hillman, steven jackson, superbowl, Tom Brady
NFL Conference Championships Stacks
With only a two game slate, it is key to identify and pick the best stack of the weekend to have any chance of placing in a NFL Daily Fantasy Tournament. Its down to the favorites and when everyone has strong defenses, every stack has the potential for boom or bust. For that reason you need to pick based on ownership rather than projection.
Lets look at the stacks:
Palmer and Fitz:
Coming off a hot performance last week, I think this will be one of the highest owned stacks of the weekend. Don't get me wrong, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most clutch playoff performers, however and he has great synergy with Palmer right now. But he performed too well last week and I don't think he will do that again. If he does then the Cardinals will move on to the Super Bowl but the Panthers are just too strong. However, many others people may agree that it is not a great matchup, which can bring the ownership down. My verdict: FADE.
Newton and Olsen:
The biggest indicator of a players ownership is their performance the previous week. People just love to make their picks on what is the most fresh in their mind, and whats fresh in their mind here is Newton's disappointment last week— of course I mean fantasy wise… the Panthers had a great game against the Seahawks last week. While the potential MVP will never be lowly owned, I do think he will be lower than normal and the Newton Olsen connection has great upside potential. My verdict: PICK.
Brady and Gronk/Edelman:
You can go either way with this stack. Edelman will rack up the targets, receptions, and yardage a bit faster but Gronk is the superior red zone threat. They as well as Brady had a great game last weekend. However, they are facing a much stronger defense here. In terms of ownership, I expect them to be highly owned, and rightfully so with more playoff experience than any other team. I'm avoiding it however for a lower owned stack with a higher upside. My verdict: FADE.
Manning and Thomas/Sanders:
We have seen very little out of Peyton Manning this year. He has had good and bad game play performances but he has had all bad fantasy performances. Their team has adopted a different style of offense which has destroyed his ability to put up big numbers. Thomas and Sanders have had their moments with Oswieller running the offense, but not Manning. I think this will be the lowest owned stack of the week— which makes it the stack with the most potential profit. Usually you only want to stack with one receiver but in a week with such few options, I don't mind tossing both of them in there to hedge you're bets a little bit. You shouldn't expect these players to put up big numbers but when you are picking based on ownership— in the slight chance they do, you may win big. My verdict: PICK.
Arizona Cardinals, cam newton, Carolina Panthers, Carson Palmer, Daily Fantasy Sports, Denver Broncos, fantasy football, Greg Olsen, Julian Edelman, Larry Fitzgerald, New England Patriots, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Peyton Manning, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady
Miami Dolphins versus New England Patriots Thursday Night Football Fantasy League Picks 10-29-2015
It will be action from the AFC East division on Thursday Night Football as the New England Patriots will be home to meet the Miami Dolphins. Fantasy football draft GM's can tune to CBS TV at 8:30PM Eastern Time on October 29th to follow the results of their roster picks.
The Miami Dolphins are a hot football team since the coaching change. Under Dan Campbell they have posted back to back victories by margin. Two weeks ago it was a 38-10 road win at Tennessee. Last week the Dolphins took a 41-0 halftime lead on the Houston Texans in their 44-28 victory to move to 3-3. Miami got back to emphasizing their run game and it has worked with two straight wins. Last week in their blowout win against the Texans the team ran for 248 yards. In their win against Tennessee the Dolphins were able to gain 180 rushing yards. During the 1-3 start Miami did a poor job running the football. The run game has aided Ryan Tannehill and made him a better quarterback. Their defense has looked much improved as the club is more aggressive and taking better angles at defenders as they make tackles. The Dolphins have moved to ninth best in the NFL in scoring offense as they average 24.5 points per game.
The New England Patriots are now a 6-0 after 30-23 victory at home to a good New York Jets team. The Patriots offense has been outstanding this year. They have scored 30 or greater points in five straight games. The Patriots are the top scoring offense in the NFL as they average 35.5 points per game. In their win against the Jets, New England simply abandoned the run as they did not want to waste downs against a very good defense that can defend it. So the game plan was for Tom Brady to throw and he had 54 passing attempts in the victory. The Dolphins had problems stopping the run so don't be surprised if the Patriots change gears and run more. With a short week it made sense to not pile up carries for their running backs because it's a position where the players get beat up.
Miami Dolphins QB:
Ryan Tannehill
The Dolphins veteran quarterback got a big contract in the offseason. He is hitting on 62.6% of his passes for 1628 yards with 13 touchdowns and 7 picks. Tannehill completed 18 of 19 throws for 282 yards with four touchdowns and no picks. In the win at Tennessee, Tannehill had two touchdowns and two picks.
Miami Dolphins RB:
Lamar Miller
Miller has run for 419 yards on 70 carries with two touchdowns. He is averaging 6.0 yards a carry on the year. Campbell is running twice as much as head coach of the Dolphins. Miller had 175 rushing yards in the win against Houston with a touchdown on his 14 carries. In the last two games Miller has 288 rushing yards on 33 carries.
Miami Dolphins WR:
Rishard Matthews
The fourth year wide out leads the Dolphins with 26 catches for 438 yards with four touchdowns. Last week in the victory against the Texans Matthews caught three balls for 75 yards and a touchdown. He is averaging 16.8 yards per catch on the year.
Brady is completing 69% of his throws this year for 2054 yards with 16 touchdowns and one pick. His completion percentage ties a career high. In the win against the Jets it was the Tom Brady show as he hit on 63% of his throws for 355 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.
The Patriots featured running back has 52 carries for 246 yards on the year with four touchdowns. He is running for 4.7 yards a carry on the campaign. Blount had just three carries last week as the team abandoned the run against the Jets.
Edelman has 45 catches for 503 yards with four touchdowns. He caught five balls for 54 yards last week in the win against the Jets.
NFL Thursday Night Football Real Money Fantasy League Picks
RB: Lamar Miller (Dolphins)
WR: Julian Edelman (Patriots), Rishard Matthews (Dolphins)
Daily Fantasy Sports, Football, Julian Edelman, Lamar Miller, LeGarrette Blount, Miami Dolphins versus New England Patriots Thursday Night Football Fantasy League Picks 10-29-2015, NFL, Rishard Matthews, Ryan Tannehill, Tom Brady
NFL Fantasy Football Draft News 10-20-2015
New York Jets versus New England Patriots NFL Fantasy Preview 10-25-2015
Two bitter AFC East rivals square off as the New England Patriots will host the New York Jets. NFL fantasy football draft GM's can check this game out on Sunday October 25th at 1PM Eastern Time over on CBS to follow the results of their roster picks.
The Jets have been a surprise this year as they enter play with a mark of 4-1. They had a nice second half rally last week as they defeated the Washington Redskins on Sunday 34-20. New York made very good second half adjustments as they turned a 13-10 deficit at the half to a 27-13 lead after three quarters. New York showcased their run game and it delivered 221 yards on the ground in the win. The Jets did a good job of stopping the Redskins run game by limiting Washington to just 34 yards on their 17 carries. They were efficient last week in the red zone converting on 3 of 4 times. New York not only sports the top run game in the league but they are tops in the league in total defense and in scoring defense. On the year the Jets give up just 15 points along with 269 yards per game. They stop the run and pass this year ranking second in pass and third in rush defense.
The New England Patriots have a 5-0 record on the year. They faced the Indianapolis Colts in a high profile Sunday night football game last week and defeated Indianapolis 34-27. The team was on back to back road games and built a two score lead in the second half until the Colts got within seven points with 1:19 left in the game. New England had built a good enough lead where they could absorb 409 yards of offense and 3 of 3 inside the red zone execution by Indianapolis. New England is the number two passing offense in the NFL and leads the league in scoring. The Patriots average 325 yards passing and 36.6 points per game.
New York Jets QB:
The 11th year journeyman is completing 62% of his throws for 1177 yards with nine touchdowns and seven picks. In the win against the Redskins Fitzpatrick threw for 253 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. He has thrown a pick in all five of his games this year.
New York Jets RB:
Chris Ivory
Ivory was a good acquisition from the Saints and leads New York with 83 carries for 460 yards and four touchdowns. He is just 27 yards old and has handled the workload very well. He received 20 carries on Sunday and ran for 146 yards and a touchdown.
New York Jets WR:
Marshall leads the Jets by far in the passing game being targeted 54 times and caught 37 balls for 511 yards and four touchdowns. He caught seven balls for 111 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Marshall has 100 yards receiving or greater in four straight games.
It's another start for a great season for the 38 year old quarterback. On the year Brady is completing 70% of his throws for 1699 yards with 14 touchdowns and one pick. Brady is productive in his late 30's which says something about his legacy in the NFL. He threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the win against the Colts.
The 28 year old running back has 49 carries for 249 yards and four touchdowns. He had a season high 93 yards rushing last week with a touchdown.
Edelman leads New England with 40 catches for 440 yards and four touchdowns. He was held to 50 receiving yards last week on six catches but did have a receiving touchdown.
Brandon Marshall, Chris Ivory, Daily Fantasy Sports, Football, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount, NFL, NFL Fantasy Football Draft News 10-20-2015, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Brady
New England Patriots versus Dallas Cowboys NFL Pro Football Fantasy Preview 10-11-2015
The Dallas Cowboys will be at home to meet the New England Patriots from week five action from the NFL. Fantasy football draft GMs can check out this game on Sunday afternoon at 4:25PM Eastern Time on October 11th from Dallas to track the results of their one day real money roster picks.
The New England Patriots are coming off a bye week. The team is 3-0 after blowing out the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17. The week prior they put up 40 points on the Buffalo Bills defense. In their week three victory against Jacksonville, the Patriots produced 471 yards of offense and converted 6 of 8 times inside the red zone. New England is the top offense in the NFL by averaging 446 yards per game. They produce 39.7 points per contest good for best in the league.
The Dallas Cowboys sit at 2-2. The team is 0-2 since Tony Romo went down with a collar bone injury. They are also without the team's leading receiver Dez Bryant and he is still weeks away from returning to the lineup with a broken bone in his foot. Dallas traveled into New Orleans last week and were defeated 26-20 in overtime. The Cowboys drove to tie the game late but allowed an eighty yard touchdown pass by Drew Brees just seconds into overtime for the loss. The Cowboys defense has now fallen to 19th in the league in points allowed by giving up 25.2 points per game.
In three games this year Tom Brady is completing 72% of his passes for 1112 yards with nine touchdowns and no picks. In the Jacksonville game Brady threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns.
Lewis a fourth year pro leads the Patriots with 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Lewis has been a contributor in the passing game with 15 catches for 179 yards. He has caught four or more passes in the first three games of the season.
After serving a one game suspension Blount has 20 carries for 82 yards and three touchdowns. Blount had 18 carries for 78 yards and three touchdowns in the win against the Jaguars.
Edelman leads the receiving corps with 30 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns. In week two Edelman caught 11 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
The sixth year tight end has caught 16 passes this season for 308 yards and four touchdowns. He had three touchdown catches in the week one victory against the Steelers.
Dallas Cowboys QB:
Brandon Weeden
Weeden the backup has started in place of an injured Tony Romo. In his three games he played for the injured Romo, Weeden has hit on 61% of his throws for 246 yards with a touchdown. He passed for 246 yards and a touchdown in a losing cause last week at New Orleans.
Dallas Cowboys RB:
Joseph Randle
Randle leads the Cowboys in carries with 59 for 229 yards and four touchdowns. He averages just 3.9 yards per run attempt. He had a bad game against the Saints last week rushing for 26 yards on eleven carries.
Dallas Cowboys TE:
The veteran tight end leads the Cowboys with 25 catches for 238 yards with two touchdowns. Those two touchdown catches came in week one against the Giants.
Dallas Cowboys WR:
He leads the wide receiving unit with 12 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. After having no catches in week three in a loss to Atlanta, Williams grabbed three balls for 49 yards and a touchdown as he was targeted ten times.
Brandon Weeden, Daily Fantasy Sports, Dion Lewis, fantasy football, Football, Jason Witten, Joseph Randle, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount, NFL, Rob Gronkowski, Terrance Williams, Tom Brady
Fantasy Football News 9-17-2015
New England Patriots versus Buffalo Bills NFL Daily Fantasy Picks
It will be a battle in the AFC East division on Sunday September 20th as the Buffalo Bills meet the New England Patriots. NFL fantasy draft GM's can tune to CBS at 1PM Eastern Time to track the results of their roster picks.
The England Patriots enter play at 1-0 with a 28-21 victory in week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers On the stat sheet the Steelers outgained the Patriots by 103 yards but it was late garbage yards by Pittsburgh who was chasing New England in the final quarter.
Buffalo pulled off a mild surprise in week one with a convincing 27-14 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills put on a very good first half performance defensively against the Colts as Buffalo went into the locker room at halftime up 17-0. The Bills picked off Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck twice and won the turnover battle by a +3 margin by playing turnover free football.
The clubs split their two meetings in 2014. The Patriots crushed the Bills 37-22 in the meeting in Buffalo. The Pats threw for 346 yards in the victory. In a week 17 meaningless game for New England last year Buffalo went on the road and beat the Patriots 17-9.
New England Patriots QB: Tom Brady
Some NFL draft managers may have thought the off field issues facing Tom Brady could impact performance on the field. It wasn't the case at all as Brady put up some monster fantasy numbers hitting 25 of 32 throws for 288 yards with four touchdowns. Brady has had some good games against Buffalo but has had mixed results passing against a Rex Ryan defense.
New England Patriots RB: Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount
Dion Lewis got the bulk of the work at running back for New England in week one. He rushed for 69 yards on 15 carries with his longest run being 13 yards. In the passing game he was third in the team with four grabs for 51 yards.
LeGarrette Blount returns to the Patriots lineup after a one game suspension.
New England Patriots WR: Julian Edelman
As expected Patriots wide out Julian Edelman was highly targeted in week one after the injuries in the receiver position for the team. Against Pittsburgh, Edelman caught 11 passes for 97 yards.
New England Patriots TE: Rob Gronkowski
It was a big fantasy performance for the Patriots talented tight end. Gronkowski caught five balls for 94 yards with three receiving touchdowns.
Buffalo Bills QB: Tyrod Taylor
The fifth year starting quarterback out of Virginia Tech got his first start for Buffalo in week one. Taylor was somewhat of a mystery for the Colts coaching staff to prepare for. Now there is tape on Taylor so it will be interesting to see what Bill Belichick will find in his film study. In the win last week against Indianapolis, Taylor hit on 14 of 19 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown. Taylor has mobility and a threat to run. In week one the Buffalo quarterback rushed four times for 41 yards with his longest run going for 41 yards.
Buffalo Bills RB: LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams
A lot was expected from LeSean McCoy as he was very displeased by the Eagles head coach Chip Kelly to trade him to Buffalo. With something to prove in week one McCoy was labeled as a fantasy bust in the opener. McCoy had 17 carries for 41 yards for 2.4 yards per rush.
Karlos Williams had six rushes for 55 yards with a touchdown. He had a 26 yard run in the win.
Buffalo Bills WR: Percy Harvin, Robert Woods
Percy Harvin had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. He had a 51 yard reception in the victory.
Robert Woods was targeted just twice against the Colts and had two grabs for 27 yards.
Buffalo Bills, Daily Fantasy Sports, Dion Lewis, Football, Julian Edelman, Karlos Williams, LeGarrette Blount, LeSean McCoy, New England Patriots, NFL, Percy Harvin, Rob Gronkowski, Robert Woods, Tom Brady, Tyrod Taylor
FanPicks Editor
Fantasy Football – NFL Preview – New England Patriots
NFL Preview – New England Patriots
Daily Fantasy Sports managers, it`s time to play some football. In the next few weeks, we are going to do a preview of every football team in preparation for the NFL 2015 season. Get ready for some Online Fantasy Football, starting tomorrow.
The super bowl champions, New England Patriots, have been the most successful NFL franchise since Bill Belichick took the job of head coach, in 2000. This team didn't come without a little controversy over Belichick reign. The latest one, the "deflategate" saga was the biggest football news all summer long. Basically, the Patriots were blamed for deflating the footballs in last year's AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts. The National Football League reported that super bowl MVP, QB Tom Brady, was aware of the intentional deflation. This led to him being suspended for 4 games by the NFL. Last week, the suspension got overturned by Judge Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District court, leaving Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL the big losers in all of this. There will now be an exciting matchup between Tom Brady's Patriots and Ben Rothlesberger's Steelers in September's 10th 2015 kickoff.
Cash Draft Offensive analysis
QB Tom Brady holds the all-time best winning percentage (.773) in the NFL. He had accomplished 373 completions for 4109 yards 33 touchdowns, while throwing 9 interception, in 2014. He also got sacked 21 times, his lowest total since 2009. The offensive line has a lot to do with this. With no more suspension in the horizon, Brady's fantasy value just skyrocketed through the roof. The 38 years-old comes back this year to prove that not even the National Football League can stop him to reach the Super Bowl again.
New England didn't commit to a full time running back since Stevan Ridley, in 2012. Bill Belichick is very meticulous about his game-plan, and it includes using running backs with particular set of skills for different plays. RB LeGarette Blount is the more experienced and skilled one of the bunch. He totaled 547 yards and 5 touchdowns with the Steelers and the Patriots in the past season. Unfortunately for him, he will miss tomorrow's game against his old team because of a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. But the undrafted Blount has his sight set towards the 1000 yard mark this year.
RB Brandon Bolden has been with the team for a while, so he knows the playbook quite well. He has collected 89 yards and 1 touchdown in 28 attempts last year. He will likely be starting the first game and run a few plays this season again, but he's not relevant enough for Fantasy Leagues.
WR Julian Edelman was Brady's top option in last year's playoffs, and this chemistry could flow into this season. He finished 2014 with 92 receptions for 972 yards and 4 touchdowns. The small receiver missed a few games because of a concussion. If he stay's healthy, he could be on his way to break his 2013 overall receiving records.
WR Brandon LaFell had his best season yet, in his first year with the Patriots. He caught 74 receptions for 953 yards and 7 touchdowns, last year. The 28 years-old will start the season on the PUP list, with a scheduled return on week 6 against the New York Jets. He will be a good Fantasy Pick when he comes back.
Antithetical to LaFell's 2014 season, WR Danny Amendola had his worst season yet. He finished with 27 receptions for 200 yards and a lone touchdown, last season. Amendola did average 24.1 yards in kick returns though. He will once again be the kick returner for the Patriots, but will also have the opportunity to take some snaps at receiver until LaFell's return to action. Managing both positions might be the way for him to bring some Fantasy Points on the board.
TE Rob Gronkowski played first full season since his all-star 2011 season, and boy did he deliver once again. A healthy Gronkowski is by no means the best tight end currently playing in the NFL. The 26 years-old had 82 receptions for 1124 yards and 12 touchdowns. Most Fantasy Managers are going to choose Gronk at the tight end spot for DFS leagues, week in and week out. Are you?
Cash Draft Defensive analysis
The Patriots defense allowed 1669 yards and 6 touchdown against the run, last year. It ranked them 9th in that category. Longtime veteran of the team and their defensive leader, DT Vince Wilfork, left this offseason to go play in Houston. The 2015 first-round draft pick, DT Malcom Brown, will be is replacement. DE Rob Ninkovich led the team with 8 sacks last season, while DE Chandler Jones saw his sack production drop from 11.5 in 2013 to 6 in 2014.
LB's Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower were the Patriots best defenders in 2014. With them and the return MLB Jerod Mayo from injury, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Beside Wilfork, New England also lost CB Darrelle Revis, who signed with the New York Jets. It is unknown if CB's Tarell Brown and Malcom Butler will be able to replace the void left by Revis. FS Devin McCourty will be the leading of the backfield this year.
Fantasy Football Outlook
The last team to win back-to-back Super Bowls (2004-2005) have lost a few key players on defense and had to deal with controversy all summer long. It looks like too much of a climb to do it again. But they can still be called the favorites to win the AFC East, this year.
Daily Fantasy Sports, Deflategate, Jamie Collins, Julian Edelman, National Football League, New England Patriots Preview, NFL Kickoff, Online Fantasy Football, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady
NFL Fantasy Football News 9-8-2015
Rams 1st Round Pick To Miss Regular Season Action
10th overall pick in the draft was coming off knee surgery in his final year in college. Media reports have Gurley out for at least six weeks. He averaged nearly 6 ½ yards a carry in college so the Rams are being very careful in his first year since the surgery.
The Rams featured back has been listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. He rushed for 765 yards and 4.3 yards a carry for the Rams last year.
Benjamin Cunningham:
With injuries to the Rams backfield Cunningham will have opportunities in week one. In 2014 the running back ran for 246 yards on 66 carries with three touchdowns. His longest run last year was just 20 yards and he averaged 3.7 yards per rush attempt.
Isaiah Pead:
Pead is in his fourth year and has just 17 rushing attempts for 75 yards and 4.4 yards per carry average. He has an opportunity like Cunningham on Sunday to see time in the Rams backfield with the injuries at the position.
Patriots Lose Wide Out to Injury for 6 Weeks
Brandon LaFell:
LaFell suffered a foot injury and has been put on the PUP list. He must now miss the first six games of the season. LaFell had been listed on the first string on the depth chart.
Reggie Wayne:
The 36 year old has been cut by New England.
Julian Edelman:
With the injury to LaFell and Wayne cut it appears that Edelman will receive heavy number of targets in week one against the Steelers. Tom Brady has lost his outlet out of the backfield in Shane Vereen. So the possession guy will be Edelman in week one for fantasy draft managers to look at.
Danny Amendola:
The 7th year wide out had 27 receptions in 2014 for 200 yards with a touchdown. In week one Amedola will get more opportunities on Thursday night with LaFell injured.
Aaron Dobson:
Dobson a third year pro better take advantage of this opportunity. He was most likely the last receiver who made the team and would have been cut if not for LaFell's injury. Dobson in two seasons has 40 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns.
Charger Cut Veteran Kick and Commit to Rookie in Week 1
Nick Novak:
The eight year kicker has been cut by the Chargers. He has been struggling with kick offs not getting deep into the end zone. He made 84.6% of his field goals in 2014 and 90% or greater the previous two years before.
Josh Lambo:
Lambo is an undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M. Head coach Mike McCoy commented to the media about his rookie's kicker composer and confidence in the preseason.
Patriots Logjam at Running Back Forces Tough Cut
Jonas Gray:
A surprise cut by the New England Patriots. The former Notre Dame product as a rookie in 2014 ran for 412 yards on 89 carries for 4.6 yards per carry average. He had five touchdowns and did not fumble. Gray did not contribute much in the passing game with one catch for seven yards. Jonas Gray is visiting with the Tennessee Titans.
Brandon Bolden:
Bolden will be the likely starter in week one after LeGarrette Blount Week 1 suspension. The four year running back has 139 carries in his career in the NFL with 4.6 yards per carry average.
Redskins Keep RGIII on Roster for Now
Robert Griffin III:
The fourth year quarterback has been demoted into the backup position. Griffin III suffered a concussion in the preseason and has been listed as questionable to be suited up as the backup. He completed 68.7% of his throws last year for 1694 yards with four touchdowns and six picks.
Aaron Dobson, Benjamin Cunningham, Brandon Bolden, Brandon LaFell, Daily Fantasy Sports, Danny Amendola, Football, Isaiah Pead, Jonas Gray, Josh Lambo, Julian Edelman, NFL, NFL Fantasy Football News 9-8-2015, Nick Novak, Reggie Wayne, Robert Griffin III, Todd Gurley, Tre Mason